


A Friend in Need

by Jain



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Episode 157, Gen, POV Third Person, Past Tense, mini fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 16:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21000425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jain/pseuds/Jain
Summary: How the conversation at Georgie's might have gone if Jon were a little more self-aware and considerably more open with his feelings.





	A Friend in Need

"He's...welcome," Melanie said. "As a friend. But that's it."

"Right," Jon said, very quietly, around a mouthful of despair.

"But you're not after a friend, are you, Jon?"

He stared at her helplessly for a long moment. Melanie had a resigned expression on her face, while Georgie stood belligerently by her side.

"I...don't know," he said at last. "I'm worried about Martin. I...love Martin." In a distant corner of his mind that wasn't writhing with embarrassment, Jon noticed that Melanie looked a little surprised at that revelation, and that Georgie didn't in the least. "I'm not entirely certain of the exact nature of--no, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I think Martin may be in very serious danger, and I'm the only person who cares enough to do anything about it."

Georgie's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, and Jon hastened to add, "That's not a criticism! You have more than your own share of problems to deal with at the moment, and you don't, well, care for him. As I do. But that means I'm alone in this, and I know I don't always...make the best choices when I try to handle a problem by myself. So I could really use a friend's perspective. Just to talk. Not to get involved, or put yourself at risk in any way.

"I don't know if it matters that the danger Martin is facing is just another part of everything you've done your best to escape. I don't know if that makes my being here something other than me needing a friend. But if it doesn't, if you're okay with me telling you the rest...I'd really, really appreciate that. Because I'm scared for him, and I don't want to lose him. I don't want him to be lost."

There were more words clamoring to be spoken--that he'd never asked for her help like this before, that he'd helped _her_ when he'd told her how to leave the Institute--but he snapped his mouth shut on them. They wouldn't be of any use, and he'd said quite enough already.

_More_ than enough; he could feel the heat of his own blush, which only compounded his embarrassment. At least Melanie couldn't see him blushing, even if Georgie was watching him with all-too-knowing eyes--and then he cringed inwardly at the abject awfulness of that thought. Apparently today was not going to be the day that he stopped being a terrible person at heart.

Melanie shook her head slightly, and Jon felt a spark of hope that he hadn't even realized he was clinging to die within him. But then she said, "I'm not sure I know what it means either. But I suppose if I'm going to stay friends with an avatar of otherworldly evil, I have to take the bad with the good. At least some of the time."

Jon let out his breath in a sharp, relieved sigh. He chanced a look at Georgie, who still looked unhappy with him, but perhaps slightly less murderously so. Perhaps.

Then Georgie shrugged fatalistically and gestured him further into the flat. "If that's how Melanie feels, then you may as well take a seat in the living room. I'll start the kettle, and you can tell us all about Martin and whatever trouble he's in."


End file.
